Problem:
When opening a Microsoft file for co-authoring, you may run into the following errors:
Process for Resolution:
This error occurs when you have opened a file for co-authoring but have not yet added Box as a Place within Microsoft Office.
To resolve this error, add Box as a Place within Microsoft Office by following the steps below for your OS:
MacOS:
- From Microsoft Word / Excel / PowerPoint, click File -> New from Template
- On the left navigation pane, click Open
- Click Manage Storage Accounts
- Select Box
- Sign in with your Box credentials or Select Single Sign-On (SSO)
Windows:
- From Microsoft Word / Excel / PowerPoint, click on File menu option.
- On the left navigation pane, click Open
- Click on Add a Place
- Select Box
- Sign in with your Box credentials or Select Single Sign-On (SSO)
Outcome:
Once you have successfully added Box as a Place within Microsoft Office, you should be able to co-author on supported Word / Excel / PowerPoint files.
Alternatives:
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If you have successfully added Box as a Place and continue to experience the above errors, reach out to the file owner to make sure they are also enabled and setup for Box for Microsoft Office Co-Authoring.
You may experience this issue when opening Office documents stored in folders where the "Hide Collaborators" feature is enabled in Box Drive. This occurs due to the interaction between Box Drive and Microsoft Office Co-authoring, rather than an limitation with Box for Microsoft Office Co-authoring itself. Office files can be opened and viewed from Box Drive once this setting is disabled or the files are moved outside of the affected folder. For more details, please refer to the known limitations section in this article.
If you continue to experience any of the symptoms listed above, please submit Box Desktop Diagnostic Logs and open a support ticket at support.box.com for further assistance.